HD Decisions, part of the Experian Group, operates in the UK Financial Services market offering innovative solutions for everyday transactions. Founded in 2008, the company has since grown to offer a tailored service used by over 3 million people a year, the equivalent of approximately 9,000 people a day.
Atlas feels like our own IT department
Atlas were appointed due to the requirements of a customer in the banking sector to provide a robust desktop solution for fulfilling our technological security specifications as well as providing guidance and support progressing through the audit process. We’re delighted by their service and impressed by their strong focus on security such as offering to implement Two-Factor Authentication amongst other services all within an ISO 27001 framework. Any issues that occurred were minimal and always dealt with quickly. Atlas really feels like our IT department now.
Gary Buxton
Operations Director, HD Decisions
The challenges
The monumental success that HD has achieved resulted in them beginning to question and build upon their own organisational practices in order to allow them to continue to be successful long into the future. Having done so, the viability and practicality of cloud computing for the company came to the fore, as the nature of the financial sector demands guaranteed security at all times in any circumstances given the type of data being exchanged between parties; losing such data would be catastrophic for any firm operating within financial services, denting any credibility that HD Decisions and other alike have as a provider.
One of the company’s external challenges was the significant business-wide audit that HD faced in order for the firm to secure a partnership with banks; security specialists require an extensive check to ensure that they could provide a suitable service. A key deal-breaker was that data had to be stored securely upon a hosted network, away from the office where it is susceptible to a range of threats and risks such as hacking.
Having access to work data and applications exclusively within the office was no longer efficient for the modern-day worker. With data residing within the four walls of the office, staff were unable to collaborate effectively.
With this plan for growth and demand for mobility, it became evident that its current IT setup was not fit for purpose. They needed something that complied with security and control whilst supporting collaboration and offering scalability.
“We’re delighted by their service and impressed by their strong focus on security such as offering to implement Two-Factor Authentication amongst other services all within an ISO 27001 framework.”
The secure solution
Upon implementation, Atlas began to provide HD with what they described as their virtual office, a system they could integrate with other server centres that catered for the production side of their business. Via secure managed connections, HD is now able to combine two cloud systems and continue to operate in the same manner with the same, if not greater, success they always had.
The virtual office approach also incorporated a new email system; encrypted email functionality allows for greater security, encrypting the message should HD choose to do so – a vital feature for operations in financial services with sensitive information.
The cloud also assisted HD with auditing their own staff in order to minimise internal risks such as data theft. The full audit allowed management to know exactly when employees logged into the system, what they were doing and for how long.
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